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Topic: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble! (Read 58911 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #30
gotta remember, not every swap is a direct, easy swap
It's Gumby's fault.

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #31
Quote from: im gay as hell
but no one knows which axles shaft you can swap wright in to make this so much easier


As already stated, since you have Mustang length axles the best choice would be get a '93 earlier Stang or the '87-'88 Turbo Coupe housing(would be my choice) . Or if you can return the axles order ones specifically for a '87-'88 Bird with drum brakes.(Probably $$$)

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #32
Quote from: Tbird232ci
gotta remember, not every swap is a direct, easy swap


:laughing::laughing:

mine was  :D  :flip:
Quote
there's only about a half a dozen man made objects that are herd by the human ear below 40Hz,a pipe organ,thunder,the space shuttle lifting off,a jet airplane taking off or landing,a large canon,an atomic bomb ignited in your back yard and the heat wave afterward oh wait you would be dead so you would'nt hear it scratch that!,and maybe beating your hear against a wall less then 40 times a second..rap music is'nt one of them!thats 40-60Hz@100+db the moving air is under 40Hz

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #33
Regarding the original parts of this post on fitting a 7.5" drum axle from an 88 Cougar LS with 10" drums onto a TurboCoup 8.8" with disk brakes in order to keep the drum brakes:

 I tried it with axles from a fox Mustang, and as lots above have suggested, it looks like it works!!    :rollin:



Thanks all you geniuses!


V6->V8HO 88 LS
5.0L V8 87 XR7

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #34
Sweet, I hope this information is recorded, even put into a sticky??
1988 Tbird Stock bottom end 306, Windsor Jr's, Explorer intake, 125 shot.
Best ET: 12.11 Best MPH: 113.8 1/4 mile

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #35
Congrats!

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #36
has any 1 ever took shafts from a ranger or ford arostar and checked if it worked because my stock 4 lug shafts are 29-1/2 in long from the lug base and the other shaft are likean inch shorter what i need is something from like a ranger with the 7.5 rear end

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #37
Mother of Pearl!

Rim-to-Rim Width

Reply #38
Have everything installed on the car now and the test drive was noisy!..  Sounded like rubber rubbing on something.  Note I had the rear looked over at a shop when it was off the car, they replaced only the seals, said everything else is fine.

Looking at the car you can see the back tires sit further into the wheel well (due to the reduced length) .  So the back tires are closer together (measuring rim-to-rim), compared with the front tires.  Thats probably not a good thing.  :disappoin

Whats the fix for this? Maybe different drums that JeremyB mentioned?  I would need drums that are thicker, although not thick enough that the tire studs won't mate with the lug nuts.


V6->V8HO 88 LS
5.0L V8 87 XR7

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #39
Quote from: Chuck W
You know, I never measured the ed thing.... :sorry: I took an 84 Cougar XR-7 7.5 rear axle housing, stuck 95 Mustang axles in it and am running the TC rear disks.....did not have to use any spacers or voodoo.

It did have the taller hat drums on it though.

I do have to admit all my cars have been 83-85....so I have no firsthand experience with the 87-88 cars when it comes to the rear axles.

I suppose he could just pick up a used 7.5 Mustang housing cheap and be done with it....


Huh...so you used axles from a 1995 and they worked? I have a set sitting here along with a new set, but the diameter of the hub seems to be different. The 94 axle has a 2.75" hub, whereas the 93 hub measures only 2.52". Is my new axle made incorrect, or are you sure you used an axle from a 95?

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #40
Quote from: nevermind65
Huh...so you used axles from a 1995 and they worked? I have a set sitting here along with a new set, but the diameter of the hub seems to be different. The 94 axle has a 2.75" hub, whereas the 93 hub measures only 2.52". Is my new axle made incorrect, or are you sure you used an axle from a 95?


Positive...

I did forget that I wound up opening up the center bore on the rotor to accomidate the larger 5-lug hub diameter.  I chose to do that instead of turning the hub down to match the rotor as I plan on upgrading to some SN-95 binders in the future, and I also wanted to keep the wheels hubcentric.

But yes, they were exactly the same length as the axles I pulled from my 84 Tbird housing.
Long live the 4-eyes!  - '83 Tbird Turbo

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #41
Quote from: bondocougar
Regarding the original parts of this post on fitting a 7.5" drum axle from an 88 Cougar LS with 10" drums onto a TurboCoup 8.8" with disk brakes in order to keep the drum brakes:

 I tried it with axles from a fox Mustang, and as lots above have suggested, it looks like it works!!    :rollin:



Thanks all you geniuses!


this is the same thing i had to do to my 86 turbo coupe. i wish i know this before i swaped the 7.5 for the 8.8. :sawzall:
So you have a V8.......isn't that cute.

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #42
You every get this rear end in the car and sorted out?

Its probs like this is why i had my 8.8 built with axles spool and c clip elims.
Do once do it right and forget it.

Re: Help! 7.5" Axle to 8.8" Trouble!

Reply #43
Yup, its installed, probably about 300 miles on it now.

Only remaining issue is the wheels are sunken into the wheel well by about an inch or inch and a half.  Have to get some wheels with different offsets or some spacers to make it look better, something left to do for another time.


V6->V8HO 88 LS
5.0L V8 87 XR7

I can answer this and put it to an end.

Reply #44
I have done this exact swap, and ran into the exact problem. OK what I did.
1: cut the  bracket off of the rearend for the disk brakes with a dremel or sawzall. it hits the backing plate.
2: put the 10 drum backing plate from the cougar on the axle .
(OK) think about what lug pattern you want now (to save you money in the long run), the next step will decide.
3: hit the junkyard and buy either a set of 79-93 8.8 or 7.5 (they are the same axle) fox mustang axles and use your existing brake drums and viola you are done. or buy 2 drivers side ranger/ aerostar axles from the same junkyard. they are the same length that you need, DO NOT use the passanger side as it is longer and will not fit. then buy the rear drums from a ranger or aerostar with the 10" drum brake option, they are not that uncommon and you will be done.